With snakelike speed, Ruiz grabbed Hope by the hair. The click of his knife opening was deafening.
Hope could feel her heart pounding in her throat.
“You’re with Higuera, aren’t you? I think maybe you’re his sister.”
“No! I’m Maria Fernandez. Okay, I lied. I’m not with the LA Times. Well sorta. I’m a freelance journalist. I just graduated from school and I need a big story to make a name for myself. Sex sells. I figured that if I could score with a story like this, they would have to hire me.”
“You are not a very good liar, señorita. Where’s your notebook? Why weren’t you asking me questions in the car? I think you are not a journalist.” He yanked hard, holding her upright by her hair. The pain caused Hope’s knees to buckle.
“Now, you are going to tell me what you want, or I am going to cut you.” He pulled her to her feet and ran his blade over her face. “I don’t think I will kill you. You’re a beautiful woman. What could be worse for a beautiful woman than to have her face scared beyond recognition? When I get through with you, no man will ever look at you again.”
Ruiz was breathing hard. He was so focused on Hope that he didn’t notice the freight train barreling down on him.
****
Catrina pulled the Explorer up a block from the blue Caddy. Ted was out the door before it stopped rolling.
“Ted, wait for us.” Catrina jumped out of the driver’s side and watched her young friend race down the street with the speed that made him a demon on the football field.
All Ted could think about was that Ruiz had his sister. Never mind that was the plan. Ruiz was as crooked as a dog’s hind leg and she was in his power.
He didn’t notice the desperate surroundings as he ran. He forgot the .38 special tucked in his holster. All he could think about was reaching Hope before Ruiz did something to her.
Sure enough, Ruiz grabbed Hope’s hair. Ted saw a knife appear in Ruiz’ hand and he saw red.
He had no conscious thought. He rushed across the road and flew through the air. He hit Ruiz like he was blocking a three-hundred-pound lineman.
Ruiz crumpled, the knife went flying.
Ted was on his feet. He pulled Ruiz up by the collar and planted a right jab squarely on his chin. Ruiz went down.
Ted kicked him in the ribs again and again.
Ruiz reached for his knife. Ted stomped on his hand. Ruiz let out a howl and grabbed at his hand.
“Ted, stop it. Don’t kill him. We need him.” Catrina wrapped her arms around Ted.
Ted struggled for a moment, then calmed down.
“You don’t ever touch my sister.” He gave Ruiz one last kick. “Get up.”
He reached down and pulled Ruiz up by the collar.
“Okay, you worm. Now you’re going to talk. I want to know what happened to my father. I want to know where my brother is.”
Ruiz eyed Ted for a moment, then looked around to find himself surrounded.
“You’ll never see your brother again. El Posolero had him. He paid a bounty to his men to capture him, but now he’s gone. El Posolero sold him to Señor Muerte.” Ruiz spat out the words.
Ted slapped him. “What does this Señor Muerte want with my little brother?”
“Who knows? I only know that I was paid to take him to Adelita’s. Then I got out of there. What they want him for, I don’t know.”
“My father. What happened to my father?”
Ted and his friends were a little too interested in hearing Ruiz’ story. They dropped their guard.
Ruiz reached behind his back and produced a small semi-automatic pistol.
“Back, all of you back.” He reached for Ted, the closest person to him and slipped behind his back. He put Ted in a headlock and held the pistol to his skull.
“You want to know about your father, cabrón? I’ll tell you about your father. I killed him.”
“Noooooo . . .” Ted sank to his knees. Ruiz struggled to control him, but finally settled for holding the gun to his head.
“Sí, he was this rich gringo. He wanted to pay me to take him to his son. My standard price of five thousand dollars. When I saw how much money he had in his fanny pack, I decided that five thousand wasn’t enough. He struggled, we fought. He did this to me.” Ruiz pointed to the fresh scar on his face.
“I had no choice. I knifed him. Now I will kill all of you and leave you here for the buzzards.”
He cocked the hammer on the sleek pistol.
Three shots rang out. Ruiz jerked from his feet and collapsed in a pile of garbage.
Ted looked up to see his sister, holding her smoking Beretta in both hands.
“He killed Papa,” Hope said. “He didn’t deserve a trial.” Tears streaked down her cheeks.
Time froze. Everyone just stared at Hope. Finally, Catrina slid to her side and removed the pistol from her hands. “It’s okay, Hope. You did what you had to. He would have shot all of us otherwise.”
Hope fell to her knees, her hands covering her face, sobbing.
Chris knelt next to her. “Hope, it’s going to be okay.”
She clung to him like a baby gorilla to its mama. She threw her arms around his neck and held on like her life depended on it.
“Oh, Chris. . .”
Ted got to his feet. He stared for a minute at this sister clinging to his best friend.
“Someone is sure to call the police,” Chris said.
“What do we do,” Ted brushed off his knees. “We should report this to el Jefe.”
“No,” Jeff said. “There are murders every day in Juarez. Most of them go unsolved. This will just be another drug cartel killing. We need to put some distance between ourselves and Ruiz. Pronto!”
Chris pulled Hope to her feet and practically carried her to the Jeep. She wasn’t about to let go, her arms were tightly locked around his neck.
Is there something going on here? Ted thought to himself.
Chapter 26
Edmonds, Washington
Jennifer Trask pulled her dark blue BMW 325i convertible into the circular driveway lined with yew trees. It looked like Harry Hardwick was doing pretty well for himself.
Jennifer had heard about Harry all of her professional life. He was legendary in Seattle’s legal circles, but she had never met him personally. From the appearance of his sprawling estate on the cliffs above Edmonds, Washington, he was doing okay.
She stopped her car and looked around. There was no visible security, no cameras. The house had a good field of view. She could see anyone approaching from the road, but could they sneak in from the neighboring homes?
The tall oak doors with oval windows opened and Candace stepped out to greet her. Not for the first time, Jennifer thought it was a shame that Candace played for the other team. What a waste that a woman that beautiful liked boys.
“Jennifer, it’s nice to see you.” Candace held out her hand. “Come on in. Harry’s waiting for us in the living room.”
Jennifer took Candace’s hand. Her heart skipped a beat. “Thank you for making time for me.” She followed Candace into the big house.
Jennifer had met Candace at a Seattle Women’s Network meeting at the Olympic Hotel. She immediately liked the tall woman’s sharp mind and quick wit. When she learned that Candace was Harry Hardwick’s wife she made a mental note to nurture the relationship.
Now she needed it.
Candace and Harry could provide what she needed; what Lisa needed.
“Your home is beautiful,” Jennifer said as they walked through the two story foyer and towards the living room. “Oh, my, your living room is impressive.”
The living room, larger than Jennifer’s whole condo, had a glass wall that opened to a deck. Of course, the typical June weather was gray and overcast, but the view from the deck was spectacular.
To her right, Jennifer could see all the way up to Whidbey Island, to her left she could see Bainbridge Island. She knew that Elliot Bay and Seattle were just around West Point. I
n front of her, across Puget Sound, were the snow-capped Olympic Mountains.
“Miss Trask,” Harry came out from behind the bar and held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Jennifer, please.”
Jennifer eyed Harry. He was a beautiful man. She could see why people often compared him to Harrison Ford. Tall and well built, he had just a touch of gray beginning to show in his sandy hair. When he smiled, he had crinkles around his blue eyes. And that smile, he had the same boyish grin that made the movie star famous.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Harry said.
“What do you have?” Jennifer continued to size Harry up.
He must be at least fifty now, she thought, but you couldn’t tell it by looking at him.
“We have a full bar.” Harry gestured with his open hand towards the leather padded, brass trimmed bar along the wall. “We have iced tea and lemonade too.”
“What are you drinking?” Jennifer asked Candace.
“Iced tea for me, thanks.” Candace replied.
“Me too. Could I have half iced tea and half lemonade?” Jennifer seated herself on the soft white leather sofa.
“This is kind of an unusual meeting,” Harry handed Jennifer and Candace their drinks. “I usually don’t have people ask to meet me at my house.”
“This is an unusual situation.” Jennifer took a small sip of her drink and set it on the glass topped coffee table.
“Here,” Candace slid a gold trimmed coaster over to her.
“I have a problem, actually I have a client with a problem, that you might be able to help me with.”
“Go on,” Harry said as he poured himself a Glenlivet on the rocks.
“Her husband is a drug dealer,” Jennifer said. “The police executed a search warrant on her house and arrested her while he was out of the country. He’s left her hanging in the breeze. He’s not coming back, at least of his own volition.”
“Something tells me that he might come back of your volition,” Harry commented. “I’ve heard of your reputation. How can we help you?”
“My client has a ten-year-old daughter. The drug cartel that her husband works for has threatened her. I need to get her out of foster care and into a safe house.”
“Un-huh,” Harry said.
“You guys live in a very isolated spot here. No one can approach your house without being seen. I was wondering if you could take her for a while. Until this all blows over.”
Candace and Harry exchanged glances.
“I’m not too sure that we want to mix it up with the Mexican drug cartels.” Harry placed his glass on the table. “They play rough. If they found her here, we’d all be in pretty deep water.”
“It’s only for a little while. As soon as the trial is over, I’m going to relocate my client and her daughter and get them new identities.”
“You can do that?” Candace asked.
“I have resources. I have to find safe houses and relocate clients all the time.”
“Still, I’m not sure that this is the best place for her,” Harry said.
“I didn’t see any sign of security here,” Jennifer said. “You would have to beef it up.”
“We’ve got an alarm system and a safe room.” Candace ran her fingers through her long black hair. “We have hidden security cameras too.”
“Those are kind of passive systems. Do you own any firearms?”
“Yes.” Harry was clearly agitated at the question. “I have a pistol and a Remington twelve-gauge shotgun, but we’re not going to get into any gun battles here. I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“We could provide security. I ould have a guard here around the clock.” Jennifer didn’t want to lose them so quickly.
“Harry, we’re talking about a ten-year-old girl,” Candace put her hand on her husband’s wrist. “She’s in trouble. She needs our help.”
“I don’t mean to sound coldhearted, but you’d be putting us at risk as well. It’s not just about the girl, it’s about Candace too. I’m not about to put her in jeopardy.”
“I’m a big girl, Harry.” Candace picked up her iced tea. “I can take care of myself. I can take care of the little girl too. She needs somebody to stand up for her.”
Candace took a sip of her tea. “I grew up in rural Idaho.” She turned to Jennifer. “I spent a lot of time hunting and fishing with my dad. I can handle a gun as well as anyone. I can shoot the ass off of a gnat at three hundred paces.”
“This is different, Candy,” Harry said. “We’re not talking about gnats here. Gnats don’t shoot back. These are gangsters. They have no regard for human life. They wouldn’t think twice about wiping all of us out.”
“That’s why we need to do this.” Candace’ eyes blazed. “That little girl needs help. If these gangsters come after her, she’s going to need someone to protect her.”
****
Juarez, Mexico
”Señor Higuera,” the desk clerk yelled as the group entered the lobby, “I have a package for you.”
They had avenged Papa’s death, but had lost their last lead to Guillermo’s whereabouts. Ted felt drained. What else could happen to them?
He shuffled over to the desk and took the small package. What could it be? It was about the size of a watch box. Who would be leaving anything for him?
“Do you know who it’s from?” Ted asked the clerk.
The short, heavy woman looked at her register. “No, it was delivered by a boy. He just said to give it to you.”
“Okay, thanks.” Ted shook the package. It was very light.
“C’mon, let me buy you a drink.” Chris put his hand on Ted’s shoulder. “I think we all need one.” He put his other arm around Hope’s waist and steered her towards the bar.
The five of them found a table under the palapa, near the pool. Chris walked over to the bar and ordered for everyone.
Hope just sat and stared at her hands, folded neatly on the table.
Chris returned and sat next to Hope. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “It’s okay, Hope. You did what you had to do. Anyone else would have done the same thing.”
“No, I didn’t do what anyone else would have done. I wanted him dead. I wanted him to pay for what he did to Papa. Now, I feel so empty. Like I’m not even here anymore.”
The waiter brought the drinks to the table. “Here, from the chef,” the waiter said as he placed a tray with pickled chiles and vegetables and salsa on the table accompanied by a bowl of chips.
“What’s in the package?” Catrina asked.
“I don’t know.” Ted tore the plain brown wrapping off of the box.
It was a hinged purple velvet box, like a jewelry box. He flipped it open and shouted.
“NO!” He dropped the box like it was on fire.
Catrina picked it up. “Oh my God!” She showed the box to Jeff. “It’s an ear.”
“There’s a note under the ear,” Jeff said.
Catrina delicately removed the piece of paper without touching the ear. She unfolded it and handed it to Ted.
“It’s addressed to you.”
Ted scanned the paper. “Oh shit.”
“What is it?” Chris asked.
“It’s from Yves.”
“Yves?” Chris said. “But he’s dead.”
“Well somebody’s using his name.” Ted handed the note to Chris.
Chris scanned the note. “He has your brother.”
It was hard to read around the blood stains. “He says that you have to come after him. Then it has a riddle. It’s something about an eagle and a cactus.”
“Let me see that.” Catrina reached for the paper. “Who is this Yves character?”
“Who was he,” Chris said. “He was an arms dealer that sold weapons to a bunch of al-Qaeda terrorists up in Canada a few years ago. The last I heard he was lost at sea when his yacht blew up.”
“Well, it looks like he’s unlost now,” Catrina said.
<
br /> “I’m going,” Ted said. He got up from the table. “I’m gonna go pack.”
“Hold on a minute, partner,” Chris grabbed Ted’s wrist. “I’m going with you. We’re in this together. Remember?”
“No, it’s too dangerous. You know how deadly Yves is.”
“That’s why we’ll all go,” Catrina said. “Let’s get packed up. We’ll meet you in the parking lot in fifteen minutes.”
****
Edmonds, Washington
Kayla was quick witted and full of energy. She couldn’t sit still. The big house on the cliffs overlooking Puget Sound was a perfect playground.
With her mother’s light brown hair and big blue eyes, Kayla could be a princess or an imp. She preferred dresses, but played like a tomboy. She seemed like a frail kid, skinny as a rail, but never cried or complained when she scraped her knees or banged her head.
Candace appreciated her fearlessness and sense of adventure. She was much as Candace had been at that age. It didn’t take Kayla long to find a favorite tree to climb. She took her stuffed dog, Benji, a Harry Potter book, and spent hours in the old maple’s branches.
Candace put her fingers between her lips and emitted a loud, shrill whistle. “Kayla, come on down, time for lunch.”
She had to admit, it was kind of fun, being an instant mom. The best part was she got to skip childbirth, the infant stage with two am feedings and diaper changing, and got a fully formed little girl to play with. She couldn’t wait to teach Kayla how to throw a curve ball.
Kayla dropped out of the tree. Her knees were covered in dirt and her light blue dress was a mess. I wonder if it will ever come clean? Candace thought.
“Hi, Candy,” Kayla yelled as she ran across the manicured lawn. “What are we having?”
“Tuna sandwiches. Do you like dill pickles?”
“Eww.” Kayla made a face as she ran onto the back deck.
“Well, wash up. You’re filthy.”
While Kayla washed her hands, Candace brought a tray with two sandwiches, a bag of baked potato chips, a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses to the green wrought iron table on the deck outside the family room. She began arranging placemats and napkins.
The Mexican Connection: Ted Higuera Series Book 3 Page 20